Beyond Enforcement: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Punjab’s 75-Micron Plastic Bag Regulation in Lahore

Plastic pollution is a major environmental problem across Pakistan. Single-use plastic items accumulate as waste, polluting waterways and soil. To reduce overall single-use plastic waste, the Punjab government released the 2023 regulations on the production and consumption of single-use plastic. This regulation required plastic bags across Punjab to have a minimum thickness of 75 microns (micrometers) and prohibited the production and consumption of thinner bags. Due to repeated observed failures in the policy's primary objective despite the Environmental Protection Agency’s involvement, this study investigates whether the continued proliferation of plastic bags is caused by implementation gaps by executive authorities or by strategic flaws in the policy design itself. Data were collected through field observations across Lahore, including measurements of plastic bag thickness using a micrometer, and qualitative interviews with retailers regarding their compliance and views on the Plastic Bag Regulation. The study concludes that an economically unattractive middle ground is created by the Punjab government’s policy, which makes compliant bags severely uncompetitive in price for informal sellers as compared to bigger retail shops, with thicker bags costing around 1100 to 1200 rupees per kilo, and thinner bags costing between 600 to 800 rupees per kilo. The policy requires both stronger enforcement, which focuses on reducing the production of thin plastic bags, and the need to incorporate strong economic support mechanisms that make the compliant choices more rational for retailers.